


Not My Cup of Tea

by Madifishy



Category: Avatar (TV), Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Avatar: The Last Airbender References, Bending (Avatar), Bonding, Cute, Cutesy, Developing Relationship, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Love, Male-Female Friendship, Mild Language, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Romance, Talking, Tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2019-01-29 21:17:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12639357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madifishy/pseuds/Madifishy
Summary: Katara and Zuko spend a day together when Aang, Toph, and Sokka go out on an earthbending training trip.





	Not My Cup of Tea

**Author's Note:**

> I've been trying to write stories pertaining to more of the shows and books that I've watched/read. Expanding my horizons :) comments and kudos are much appreciated, thank you for reading and supporting my work!

Zuko strode into the kitchenette area of the small house, where Katara was seated at the table with a small cup of tea. The table was very low to the ground, and Katara was seated comfortably on a cushy pillow beside the table, her elbows propping her arms up, holding up the tea. The teacup sat heavily in her dainty fingers, the tea swirling around within the cup. He expected to see steam rising up out of the cup, but there was none. Of course there wasn't; the tea was cold. She had no way to heat it. There was no gas stove or burner here that she could use to do that.

 

"Hey."

 

Katara's head snapped up, her gaze shifting from her tea to Zuko as his gravely voice broke the silence. Her face softened when she saw him. "Oh, hey." She smiled softly. He smiled back. Her smile was spectacular and contagious. He couldn't help but smile when he saw her smile, regardless of how he felt. Her eyes returned to her tea, following the tiny bubbles around the dark liquid. The smell of tea filled the hair. Zuko found himself unable to pinpoint the exact scent, but he could tell it was some sort of relaxing herbal tea.

 

"Drinking cold tea?" he asked, seating himself across from her at the small table. The pillow he sat on was red, and he noticed that the one Katara was seated upon was blue. The other two pillows were white and green. Each pillow represented one of the bendable elements. He understood why the elements were so important, but he had yet to understand the world's seemingly infatuated attitude towards the way all of the elements were suppose to fit together into perfect harmony. Sure, each element was important on its own, but the elements often worked against each other, so why did people seem so obsessed with the thought of all of the element's working together?

 

Katara sighed. "Yeah, cold tea. Not the best, but I dont have any way to heat it." She looked back up at Zuko, and he met her gaze. Her blue eyes were breathtaking. He had always loved them and, despite the fact that he had never outright told her so, he could tell that she knew he thought her eyes were beautiful.

 

"Here I have an idea." Zuko leaned across the table, his hands meeting Katara's. He pulled her hands toward the center of the table, the cup still held between her fingers. He moved her fingers so that she held the small cup by the top, rather than by the sides. He placed one hand under the tea, his palm touching the bottom of the ceramic. He took his free hand and placed it over one of her hands, his large hands entirely covering her small hands. He could tell from her fingers that she was a water bender. She had the small hands and palms with short, thin fingers. His hands, in comparison, were large and blocky looking. His fingers were wide and long, his palms had the burn scars from past sparring with other fire benders. He closed his eyes and started to bend. Within a matter of seconds, steam was rising up out of the drink. Katara smiled excitedly and looked back and forth between her tea and Zuko. "Where did you learn to do that?" she asked, her curiosity mixing in with her excitement. 

 

I saw my uncle do it once when we were in one of the earth bending cities. I scolded him for it at the time, but once I was alone, I taught myself how to do it. It's easy, really."

 

Katara tilted her head. "Wait, you got upset with your uncle for something he did, then you took his idea for yourself?"

 

Zuko shrugged. "Well, kind of. He was doing it in front of earth benders. He could've gotten us into serious trouble. I waited until I was alone to try it out."

 

"That makes sense" Katara responded. She leaned forward, her thin lips meeting the edge of the cup. She tilted the tiny cup, allowing the tea to rush up to meet her lips. She sipped the hot tea, then beamed. "This is amazing. It's much better this way."

 

"Glad I could help", Zuko responded calmly, leaning back from the table. Crossing his legs on the small pillow. 

 

"Did you ever learn anything else useful from your uncle? Maybe you could find a way to fire bend us some snacks", she grinned, and Zuko laughed. 

 

"Trust me, if I found a way to make food appear, I would've used it long before now."

 

They shared a laugh, and then spent several minutes just taking in the quiet, sharing each other's presence. It wasn't often they had a chance to sit down and relax, and it was even less often that Zuko laughed or smiled. He wasn't a generally happy person like Katara. Being around her seemed to rub her good mood off on him, something he had been skeptical of at first, but had now grown adjusted to. Hell, sometimes he really liked it. It was nice to spend time with someone who was happy and made him happy too. 

 

"When are the others suppose to be back?" Zuko asked, leaning forward, using the table to prop his elbows up. 

 

Katara let her tea cup meet the table, her fingers still holding it. "They should be back by tomorrow, but they weren't sure what time. Why?"

 

"I was thinking maybe we could go look around the local market. I know browsing the villages and seeing the way each village has their own culture."

 

Katara smiled gently. "I think I would like that."


End file.
